Afternoon Peace
by Sparkly Faerie
Summary: Oneshot. A month after the defeat of Naraku, Inuyasha and Kagome finally have some time to themselves to let their feelings out. InuKag


**This little PWP was originally part of another, unpublished, story that will probably never make it online. I re-read what I'd written and fell in love with it; it just **_**demanded**_** to be posted! I figured it did well as a stand-alone; so here we are!

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha or anything associated with it. All rights to Inuyasha and affiliated products belong to Rumiko Takahashi-sama.

**Summary: **A month after the defeat of Naraku, Inuyasha and Kagome finally have some time to themselves to let their feelings out.

**Rating: **K+

**Pairings: **InuKag

**Genre: **Romance

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**Afternoon Peace**

The sun's rays sparkled on the top of the lake like thousand diamonds. All Kagome could think of, sitting there in her out-of-place modern school uniform, was how beautiful the wilderness was. She could not believe that, only two years ago, she was a pampered modern-day city girl living in a large house and being waited on hand and foot by her mother. It was truly a cause for reflection. Well, at least, in her mind it was. With the defeat of Naraku a month ago, her life had never been so peaceful.

Sitting on the rock that jutted out over the water, Kagome played with the hem on her skirt. She had been travelling back and forth between the two eras of time for what now seemed a lifetime, and was all the wiser for it. She had never appreciated the simplicity of life until she had started coming into the Sengoku Jidai. Granted, she had been terrified for the first week or so, but gradually she came to appreciate the beauty of the Feudal Era and its simplistic lifestyle.

Watching Inuyasha teach Shippou to fish a little up the lakeside, Kagome couldn't help but smile. Inuyasha and Shippou had been getting along famously ever since the pressure of defeating Naraku had been off the hanyou's back. He was like a whole new man, living for only his friends and no longer being so highly-strung and grumpy. He looked at Shippou as a younger brother, or possibly even a son. Either way, he'd explained to Kagome when she'd asked, the kit was _pack_, and it was high time they acted like it.

She had never realised just how pack-orientated inuyoukai were until Sango had explained it to her a few months ago; much more so than humans were family-orientated. She wished someone in _her_ family had spent time with her like that. She hadn't exactly grown up alone, but her father had always been busy and her mother was always doing something or other with he grandfather or brother; especially after her father had died. Thinking of her family, she briefly wondered about going home to visit, even though she said she was going to be in the Feudal Era all summer.

Inuyasha had offered to take her back, once they finally defeated their enemy. Had it been before Naraku's demise, she would have immediately accepted the offer. But, it had been after his defeat, and Kagome had felt more at home in the peace of the Feudal Era than she ever had in the city of the future. The only thing that would make it better would be if she could bring her family with her. As much as she loved the Feudal Era, and the people she knew there – or _then_, her mind corrected playfully – she still missed her family.

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, she smiled. Slipping backward on the rock, she made her way over to Inuyasha as he called off practice. Shippou happily ran off to go play, ready to entertain himself for hours upon hours practicing his kitsune magic. Kagome's heart swelled at the sight of him. When she had first seen him all those years ago, he was small, desperate to avenge his father's death; now, he was a whole new cub. She had grown quite attached to him over the last few years, almost like he was a son to her. In fact, she loved every single member of their group. They took care of each other, almost like a real family.

Sitting down on a fallen log as Inuyasha, wet and glistening in the sun, trudged up the hill, she smiled. He'd removed his haori and kosode as he taught Shippou, preferring not to get the garments wet if he could help it. He flashed her a grin as he climbed the steep incline to meet her, sitting down in the shade of the forest with a groan. She attempted to ignore the fluttering in her stomach and the heat in her face as he watched her fidget with her hands, trying to think of what to say.

"You looked like you were having fun." She remarked hesitantly.

Inuyasha chuckled. "Trying to teach Shippou to fish is like trying to teach you to use Tessaiga properly." He quipped lightly. Kagome gave a small smile that did not quite reach her eyes. Sometimes Kagome felt a feeling of homesickness that she couldn't quite explain. It wasn't really that she wanted to go back to the modern era just yet, but more like she missed _being_ in a home, with a _family_. In this place, it was only her, Shippou, Sango, and Miroku. And, she reminded herself, Inuyasha. "You ok?" He asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Shaking her head slightly with a smile, Kagome nodded. "I'm fine. Just… thinking, I suppose."

She missed the way Inuyasha's ears lowered shamefully. As usual, he misinterpreted her meaning, taking it to mean that she missed her old friends in her own era. "Anytime you… you want to go back…" he offered, "…I'll take you. You just have to ask." He looked away from her, his ears plastered down against his head. Bowing his head a little, he hid his amber eyes from her curious view. He started at the feel of someone gently rubbing his left ear, turning slightly to watch her face.

She was smiling gently. Watching her in the dappled sunlight through the forest canopy, his breath caught – and not from the wondrous sensations of her delicate fingertips on his sensitive ears. Her skin had slightly tanned since she had first started travelling there, though she was still paler than any other human woman from that era. Her dark hair was hanging wildly down her back, naturally curling and glossy in the patchy sunlight. Her eyes sparkled in happiness. She was a vision; a gorgeous vision. Ignoring modern school uniform, she looked almost like a forest faerie, or a kitsune in disguise to lure men from their homes. She was beautiful.

Taking her wrist in a firm grip to hold her palm to his chest, he gently leaned forward, cupping her cheek with his other palm. Feeling her soft skin against his callused palm was like touching the finest muslin cloth; the feel of it under his skin was so soft and delicate that he was worried that he might tear it with his rough fingertips. Watching her chocolate coloured eyes, he leaned in, mentally grinning as her face turned upward, her eyes flickering closed.

Kagome felt like she could fly when his lips gently brushed against hers the first time. Backing up a little to look at each other after the butterfly touch, they both had a ghost of a smile playing on their lips. Eyes sliding closed again, they permitted their lips to touch a second time; this time lingering longer, Kagome's free hand sliding up Inuyasha's arm to tangle in his long silver hair as his palm sliding from her face to cup the back of her neck, drawing her further into him. His grip on her palm disappeared and he wrapped the arm possessively around her small waist as her hand clenched against his bare chest.

Backing up slightly, Kagome gave him a gentle smile, which he hesitantly returned. Her throat had closed up, rendering her unable to speak, but the glimmering happiness in her eyes spoke volumes to Inuyasha. No words were spoken between them, letting their gentle kisses tell each other how they felt as they sat together for the rest of the afternoon, making their way back to Sango and Miroku when the sun finally set.

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**T'was only short, but I liked it. I hope you guys liked it too.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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